Chapter 29
CHAPTER 29
E mma felt quite foolish when she awoke.
Her body ached all over, and though she had been sleeping for a long time she was still exhausted. She sat up, wincing at the pain she felt, and suddenly she was facing her sister, who did not seem much better than she was.
“At last,” she said gently. “You are awake.”
“What happened?” Emma asked wearily. “Did the duel–”
“No, you stopped it. We are all safe. You did it, Emma!”
That made the pain that she was in worth it, at least.
Sarah had brought gowns with her, as they had planned to be away for some time, and so Emma was at least able to wear something more flattering than that hideous thing she had thrown onto her body in her haste to leave. She took one of Sarah’s pink gowns gratefully, lacing herself in and then fixing her sister’s corsets for her. They left for breakfast, and when they reached the room they saw that Rosendale and Levi were on opposite ends of the room, not acknowledging one another’s presence.
“Another day of battle, then,” Sarah said quietly. “Good luck, Sister.”
“And to you,” she nodded, heading to where her husband was sitting.
“Good morning,” he greeted gently, as if his voice might break her if it was too loud. “You look better.”
“And I have certainly looked better,” she joked, “but I am pleased that all of this is over with now, and that you and I can return home.”
He looked at her with a very measured way, and it unsettled her.
“What is it?” she asked. “The duel did not take place. They can now go and be married, and we can go home. That is what we all want, is it not?”
He sighed, placing the teacup that he was drinking from gently onto the table.
“There is still much to be done before we can do that. Rosendale must apologize for what he did, and given that he did not join me this morning, I must assume that he does not want to.”
Emma cast a glance over to Sarah, who shared her look, which suggested that their own conversation was going in a similar way. Emma couldn’t believe what she was hearing. After everything that had happened, was he truly going to stop Sarah from doing what she wanted?
“Levi, our father will make her marry the Viscount. If she does not run to Gretna Green with Rosendale, she will be forced into a marriage that she does not want, and it will not be like you and me. She will not fall for him in time, and instead she will forever yearn for the man that she truly loves. We cannot allow that to happen.”
Levi truly did seem to be listening to her, but she could see the resolve in his eyes. He knew what was the proper thing to do, and she knew he intended to keep to it.
“I do not want her to marry the Viscount any more than you do,” he replied. “I would much rather return to your father and force him to change his mind, and then Sarah and Rosendale can marry in the proper way. This business with Gretna Green, however, will not be tolerated.”
“Then what do you propose that we do? My father will not listen to reason, and he will certainly not listen to you if you tell him about what my sister wants. He does not care. His interests lie in what he can gain from such things, and a deal such as this with his friend is not something that he will change his mind about, whether you are a duke or a commoner. Believe me, I know my father.”
She could see him thinking, and she wished she knew what such thoughts were. She so desperately wanted to change his mind, as she could not imagine her sister married to an awful man that did not care for her, and that she did not love, but there was only so much that she could do.
When they had eaten, Emma having still been quite ravenous after the previous day, they met outside. Sarah was ill-at-ease, and Emma wondered just what Rosendale would say. She was terrified that he would declare that he was unapologetic and that he was happy to issue his challenge to Levi if necessary, but instead when she looked into the man’s eyes she couldn’t help but pity him.
“I know that I cannot change your mind,” he began, “and I know that the correct thing to do is apologize and give her back to you, Your Grace, but I cannot do it. I refuse to apologize for loving Sarah, no matter the cost of such a decision. I want her to be my wife, and if returning her to her father means that I will lose her, I cannot do that. If it was what Sarah wanted, I would have let her go without question, but I cannot look the lady that I love so much in the eye and tell her that this is for the best, because it is not.”
When the Baron had finished, he took a deep breath. Sarah burst into tears, throwing herself into his arms and crying into his chest. Emma looked pleadingly at Levi, and she could see that he was at war with himself. He couldn’t bring himself to allow the match, even if he did believe it was the right thing to do, Emma could tell. His expression was pained, but she knew what had to be done.
“Go,” she said gently, looking at them kindly. “Go to Gretna Green, and do what you must do. We will not tell a soul about it, you have my word.”
Sarah pulled away from Rosendale and looked at her with uncertainty, then casting her eye to Levi. His mouth was agape, and he struggled to close it again.
“This may be the biggest mistake that I have ever made,” Emma continued, “but it is my mistake to make. Sarah, if this is what you want, then you can have it. I would never be able to forgive myself if I did not allow you to do what you felt was right for yourself, not after I have been in scandals of my own.”
Sarah took her hands tightly, smiling through her tears.
“Oh, Emma, I knew that you would understand. It had been my hopes when I wrote you that letter that you would never hold it against me, and I was right to believe in you. Truly, you are the most wonderful sister.”
“You must visit us, though,” she warned. “Elopement or not, I expect to see you often.”
Sarah nodded profusely, and the Baron took his hand in hers. Levi, however, cleared his throat pointedly.
“I do not mean to ruin all of this,” he said politely, “but I want to ensure that you know the gravity of what you are choosing to do. The ton will not look upon this with kindness, and it could lead to the both of you being shut out from the ton for the rest of your lives. Is that truly something you are prepared to face?”
“Of course,” Sarah replied firmly. “I knew what I was risking by coming here, but it never made a difference to me because it is what I want. I would rather be in love than be invited to some ball. This is a sacrifice, to be certain, but to me it is an easy one to make. I shall never regret it, as one never should when it pertains to their marriage.”
She smiled at Levi as she said that, and Emma remembered what he had said to her the night before. In amongst all of the fighting, he had confessed that he loved her, and she had told him she loved him too. It was what she had needed to hear for so long, but it was also proof that Levi knew how her sister was feeling.
“If this match is what you want,” Levi nodded, “then I will not stop you. However, you need not follow through with this elopement.”
“What are you saying?”
“I am saying that there is another way, but we must return for it to happen. Fear not, this is not a trick of any kind, but it is what must be done. Do you trust me?”
Rosendale did not seem certain, but when Sarah looked to Emma for support, all Emma could do was nod. She knew that her husband was an honest man, and that he would not be so cruel as to trick them into pushing Sarah into a marriage with the Viscount. He had traveled all the way to Scotland to protect her, after all.
“I do,” Sarah said gently, and after a moment Rosendale nodded too.
“Wonderful. In that case, we must make haste. I do hope that you arrived in a carriage.”
“We did,” Rosendale explained, “but your horses will not fit with the others.”
“That is perfectly fine. I shall have someone collect them when we return. In the meantime, we must leave, and now.”
Nobody argued with him any further, and they took their belongings and left without any further quarrels. The carriage ride was stilted at first, with nobody knowing quite what to say to one another, but eventually Sarah looked at Emma with a wicked grin.
“I heard something interesting last week.”
“Oh? What was that?”
“Gretchen is furious. She is claiming that she and the Duke were courting when the two of you were seen together at the ball.”
“Surely she should have stopped all of that by now?” Emma groaned.
Fortunately, the two gentlemen seemed to enjoy the gossip, and it was causing the mood to lighten.
“You would think so, given that he is now married and therefore cannot be her husband. However, it would appear that she had it all planned from the start. She seemed to think that if she was seen with a powerful member of the ton, she would then in turn have a powerful husband.”
“That is not uncommon, I suppose.”
“No, but one never talks so brazenly of it. She claims that she was alone with His Grace many times, which though true, only served to threaten her reputation. When that was suggested, she quickly tried to explain it away, in the end saying that she had lied, but it was too late. She is staying with her aunt for a while, until it stops.”
Emma laughed, remembering her old plans. She couldn’t fathom the idea of being at her aunt’s estate in that moment, as she had grown far too accustomed to her own life as Duchess.
“We will have to spend some time in the town when we are home,” she told Levi. “I have only been there once, with your mother, and it is important to me that they come to know who I am.”
“They will love you,” he assured her. “We shall go when all of this is done.”
“And what is it exactly that you plan to do?” Sarah asked, and all eyes fell on Levi.
“Well,” he began, “Sarah, if you stay in hiding with us for a while, it will give me time to settle a few affairs, and then you may marry properly. I am quite adept with finding information, and I am certain that this will be no exception.”
“And if it is?”
“Then I will accept that there is no other way, and you need only make one final trip to Scotland. I only ask that you give me this chance.”
Sarah nodded, and Emma knew precisely how much his offer had meant to her. They had only ever had one another to help them, as their father couldn’t have cared less for them if he tried, but now that Levi was there, Sarah was every bit as protected as Emma. It was a blessing, and Emma knew that Sarah was grateful for that.
They arrived at the manor, and Rosendale continued on his way. Levi had offered to let him stay, but the man seemed reluctant to do so.
“It is understandable,” Emma nodded, “when you were going to shoot him yesternight.”
Levi chuckled at that.
His mother came to see them, and she had to look closely at the two young ladies to see the difference between them.
“Levi, how many more young ladies do you plan to present me with?” she joked. “I had thought I might need spectacles for a moment.”
“My name is Sarah, Your Grace. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
“Emma’s sister, I assume?” she asked, to which she nodded. “You may call me Eloise.”
Levi left to prepare some things, and Eloise took Emma’s hand gently, smiling at her.
“You did what I never could. You made him come home.”
“He isn’t like his father,” Emma said gently. “I know that you believe he might one day be, but I cannot imagine it. I do not believe in this curse.”
“And, given how he looks at you, it would appear that you are correct not to. It is time that I stop believing in it myself, and that I take the time to truly earn his forgiveness.”
She left soon after, leaving Emma and Sarah alone. Immediately, Sarah threw her around Emma and held her tightly, thanking her over and over.
“We do not know if Levi’s plan will work yet!” she yelped.
“No, but I want to believe it will, and so I shall. In any case, the two of you have saved my life, and there will not be a day that passes where I am not so grateful for everything that you have done for me. I may have had an awful father, but you are such a brilliant sister that it doesn’t even matter. I love you, Emma. Endlessly.”
“And I love you. Come, I must show you to your room.”
As Sarah was settling into her room, Emma went to visit Levi in his study. He offered a drink, and when she glared at him he laughed.
“I don’t suppose that you will ever want my drinks again?”
“Certainly not. They are awful,” she laughed along before softening. “I want to thank you for what you are doing. I know that it is not what you truly think is right, but I am grateful that you are doing it for my sake.”
“Giving your life away for an elopement is not right,” he corrected her. “A marriage within the ton, however, is perfectly acceptable. I shall have no qualms with that at all.”
She smiled, and he took her in his arms.
“I simply do not understand why you were so assertive about honor. After all, it isn’t as though it has ever been something you cared about. Why were you so willing to risk your life for it?”
He laughed gently, kissing the top of her head.
“It was never about honor. In all honesty, it was because I knew you would be lost without your sister and I couldn't bear the thought of that because I cannot bear to see you unhappy.”
She looked at him with curiosity, though she had been certain that there had been another reason for his actions herself.
“I meant what I said last night,” he continued. “It may not make any sense at all, but it is true. I love you, Emma.”
“And I love you. In equal measure,” she replied, sighing into his chest.
At last, they pulled apart, and he kissed her with such gentle passion that she had no further doubts if any remained. For a moment, she allowed herself to wish that there was no wedding to plan, so that they could have been alone.
Only for a moment, of course.